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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. E. DORTON & H. L. EARLE. BAND CUTTING AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

No. 439,489. Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. E. DORTON & H. L. EARLE;

BAND CUTTING AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

No. 439,489. Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

si- Gu l Mad THRASHE (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

R. E. DORTON & H. L. EARLE. BAND CUTTING AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

No. 439,489. Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

' FROM ENGINE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. DORTON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, AND HARRY L. EARLE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO ROBERT J. ANDERSON,

OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

BAND-CUTTING AND FEEDING MECHANISM. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,489, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed December 12, 1889. Serial No. 333,458. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT E. DORTON and HARRY L. EAR-LE, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, and at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Band-Cutting and Feeding Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to that class of mechanism designed to receive bound bundles of grain, cut their hands, and deliver the grain. into a thrashing-machine.

The improvements consist in the manner of hinging the parts to admit of their being folded on the thrasher, in side conveyers arrangedout of line with each other and delivering upon the intermediate main conveyor, in side conveyers arranged to deliver alternately, in various improvements in the bandcutting devices, and in various details of the conveyers, all as hereinafter explained and described in detail.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of our attachment applied to a thrasher. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, with a portion in section, on the line cc of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on the line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of one of the band-cutters. Fig. ,5 is a top plan view of one end of the cutter, showing the manner in which it is supported. Fig. 6 is a side view of one of the cutter-supporting arms. Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the pickers. Fig. 8 is a side view showing the manner in which our mechanism is attached and driven, the relative positions of the side frames being indicated in dotted lines. Figs. 9 and 10 are views showing the pickers or spreaders in diiferent forms A represents the main frame of my attachment, hinged to the receiving end of the thrasher or separater at a, and sustained by hinged braces a, so that it may be folded upon the machine when not in use. This frame A contains the endless constantlydriven apron 13, passing around rolls b b at its ends and serving to deliver the loose grain to the thrashing-cylinder.

To opposite sides of the frame A, at right angles to the length of the feed-apron and at different points in its length, we hinge the secondary frames 0 C, each provided with mechanism for cutting the grain-bands, opening or spreading the sheaves, and delivering the loose grain to the feed-apron B, as hereinafter described in detail. The location of the frames 0 O at different points in the length of the main conveyer-apron and on opposite sides thereof prevents the grain from both frames from being deposited on the apron at the same point, in which case there would be aliability of the thrashing-cylinder becoming clogged. The machine is balanced by the frames being on opposite sides.

The hinged connections between the main and side frames are preferably made, as shown, by providing the frame A at its front with a rigid arched frame 0?, to opposite sides of which are bolted brackets (6 Similar brackets are attached to the opposite sides of the frame A, all of these brackets being formed to receive tubular journals a bolted. to the side frames.

By hinging the side conveyors to the main conveyor that they may close upward and inward toward each other, and also hinging the main conveyor so that it may fold upward toward the thrasher, carrying with it the folded side conveyors, I am enabled to close the parts into compact shape and to place their weight in such relation to the machine that it may be safely and readily transported on the road and carried through gates and other restricted openings.

We will now describe the feeding, cutting, and spreading mechanisms of the frame 0, which are in all respects duplicates of those on frames C, so that the description of one may be considered a description of the other, except that in the one case the parts move to the right toward the feed-apron, while in the other they move to the left. The bound sheaves, laid upon the outer end of the frame, which has a top or table, are carried inward thereover by parallel chains or belts E, travelin glengthwise of the frame around sustaining pulleys orrollers e e, and provided with teeth c to engage and positively move the grain. The chains travel forward over the upper surface of the frame and sink through slots therein just before reaching its inner end, so that the grain is stripped from the teeth and prevented from being carried back beneath the table. The end of the table is extended inward and curved downward, so that the grain is delivered upon the feed-apron below. 7 W

The cutting of the bands is effected during their passage over the table by two overhead serrated reciprocating knives F F, similar to the knives of mowing and reaping machines, arranged side by side and moving in reverse directions, so that they operate with a shearing action and without tendency to move the grain endwise. The knives (shown clearly in Figs. 1, 2, and 3) extend crosswise of the table and are inclined or tipped sidewise, so that the ends of the cutting-points are presented toward the incoming grain. In practice it has been found that the cutters thus inclined act with more certainty and ease than those arranged vertically, since the carrying-chains act to carry the grain and band directly against the knives and between their points.

In order that the knives may act with certainty on both large and small sheaves, and that the large sheaves may not choke or retard the action of the parts, we mount the entire cutting mechanism on the free endof two arms ff, pivoted at f to standards on the frame. The arms stand normally in an inclined position, with their elevated pivoted ends toward the incoming grain, on which they float, thus raising and lowering the outterautomatically in accordance with the size of the sheaves passing thereunder. Each knife consists, like a mower-knife,of a-series of small triangular blades f which are riveted to an angle-iron bar f The two knives are sustained by and between two parallel angle-iron bars f which are connected by cross-plate f and attached at the ends to necks f secured by set-screws f in blocks f which are in turn sustained by transverse pivots in the ends of the arms f f. This arrangement permits the two ends of the cutter to rise and fall independently. The knives are actuated by pitmen f, attached to a double crank-shaft f seated horizontally in a hearing or standard f, rising rigidly from the side of frame 0.

Inorder to secure a constant and uniform delivery of the grain to the feed-apron, the sheaves must be opened, or, in other words, the grain spread out before delivery to the apron. For this purpose we provide a series of pickers or spreaders H. They may be mounted at the middle on a crankshaft h, and guided at the heel ends by vibrating levers h, as in Fig. 9, so that when the shaft is turned the fingers will be thrust upward through the grain-table and carried forward toward the delivery end with short rapid strokes, so as to spread the grain and carry the same over the edge of the table to the feed-apron below. Each tooth after completing its advance is withdrawn and retreats beneath the table preparatory to its next stroke. The delivery end of the table is curved downward and slotted, as shown, in order to strip the grain from the picker-teeth and prevent it from being carried backward under the table. W V

The picker-teeth or spreader-teeth, instead of being operated as above described, may be carried by cranks and guided at the heel by a fixed cam h as in Fig. '7 or the pickers may be of sector-shape, mounted to vibrate on a shaft h, under the influence of pitmen h and cranks'h, as in Fig. 10. We prefer,however, pickers having the circulatory movement first above described.

In order to secure delivery of the grain to the feed-apron B from the two sides alternately, we propose to provide the conveyors E with teeth for a portion of their length only, and to arrange the groupv of teeth on one series of chains in such relation to the teeth of the chains on the opposite side of the machine that they will come into action alternatelythat is to say, so that the teeth of the righthand chains will act upon the grain, while the teeth of the left-hand chains are inactive, and vice versa. I

The operative parts above described are driven as follows: The main driving-shaft K, carrying the driving-pulley L and the front roll of apron B, is mounted horizontally across the outer end of the frame A and provided with beveled pinions 7c, engaging pinion-s 75, connected through clutches to vertical sprocket-wheels k From these wheelschains 76" extend around the respective wheels 10 7c, fixed on the ends of shafts 73 These shafts are extended horizontally across the inner ends of the side frames and seated in the tubular boxes, before referred to as forming part'of the hinges between the main and side frames. By thus arranging the shafts 7a concentric with the hinges the folding of the side frames, as before referred to, is permit= ted without disturbance of the driving-con nections. Each of the shafts 10 carries a sprocket-wheel 70 connected by chain 70 to a sprocket-wheel k on the adjacent shaft 70 Each of the shafts it carries at the inner end a beveled pinion 7c, engaging pinion 70 on a vertical shaft,'which is in turn connected toward each other, and supports, substantially as shown, to sustain said hinged frames in operative positions, whereby the three conveyers are permitted to fold into compact form over the thrasher for transportation.

2. In a feeder for a thrashing-machine, a conveyer to deliver the grain to the thrasher, in combination with two lateral conveyers delivering to the first at different points in its length.

3. In combination with the intermediate conveyer feeding to the thrasher, the two conveyers delivering to the first from opposite sides and at different points in its length.

4:- In combination with a thrasher and a conveyer delivering with a constant motion thereto, a lateral conveyer and chains feeding to the first conveyer and toothed for a part of their length only, whereby the grain is delivered to the main conveyer intermittingly, and thus distributed thereon to cause a regular feed to the thrasher.

5. In combination with the conveyer-apron B and intermediate connectinggear, the two series of conveyer chains or belts located on opposite sides of and delivering to the apron, said chains or belts provided with teeth relatively arranged to cause the delivery of grain to the two sides of the apron alternately.

6. In a band-cutter and feeder, the reciprocating cutter, the guide-bars to sustain the same, the bearing-blocks at the ends of said bars, and the sustaining-arms pivotally connected to said blocks, whereby the ends of ing table having the downwardly-curved and slotted end, the conveyer-chains moving over the table and vanishing therethrough before reaching the delivery end, the pickers arranged to sweep through the slotted end of the table, as shown, and a cutter to sever the bands in advance of the pickers.

Signed by the said ROBERT E. DORTON, at Minneapolis, Minnesota, this 30th day of O0- tober, 1889, in the presence of two subscrib ing witnesses.

ROBERT E. DORTON. Witnesses:

THos. A. WHITWoRTH, G. A. BAKER. Signed at the city of New York, this 8th day of November, 1889, by the said HARRY L. EARLE, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY L. EARLE. Witnesses:

W. L. J UDSON, J. R. STRICKER. 

